Adam H. Sass

Adam brings over 25 years experience in the field of disability employment and community life engagement. His career has focused on creating opportunities for individuals with disabilities to be fully engaged in their communities. This priority has been constant; whether focusing on direct service work, program management, policy-making, or systems change initiatives and implementation.

Prior to joining NASDDDS, Adam was the Community Resource Manager for Employment and Integrated Day Services at Virginia's Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDS). While at DBHDS he coordinated the development of both the state's Employment First Initiative and the new Community Integration Services. These efforts resulted in Virginia's Employment First Policy. His work also led to the implementation of regulatory language to support practice, and provided guidance and recommendations for redesigning Virginia's waiver system to support community-based services. Adam's philosophy and understanding of the field led to greater interagency collaboration and more effective review of state policies that led to more opportunities for individuals to receive supports in the most integrated settings. In addition to being Virginia's representative on the State Employment Leadership Network, Adam also provided training and technical assistance to a variety of stakeholder groups.

Adam started his career in the field as an employment specialist. His varied background includes working in England as the first American Team Leader for Prince Charles' charity The Prince's Trust, helping at-risk youth secure employment. He also worked at Jewish Vocational Services- Boston as the Director of Training and Placement Programs overseeing the delivery of services to people with disabilities, refugees, Welfare-to-Work participants, and residents of Boston’s public housing communities.

National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services